Category: Speeches

  • Jon Cruddas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jon Cruddas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jon Cruddas on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the report Three years on: an independent review of Local Council Tax Support Schemes by Eric Ollerenshaw OBE, published in March 2016, if he will commission in-depth academic research on the effect of Local Council Tax Support Schemes within the wider context of other welfare and socio-economic changes.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    Eric Ollerenshaw’s independent report recognises the successful implementation of Local Council Tax Schemes by local government and makes a number of recommendations to improve their efficiency and effectiveness, whilst remaining a local discount. The Department for Communities and Local Government will consider these recommendations carefully.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he or officials of his Department have had with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on the process to ensure that ports effectively monitor ship energy efficiency management plans; and how many ships have been found not to possess an updated plan in the last five years.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plans come under the purview of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Inspectors when carrying out Port State Control inspections. They have been mandatory since 1 January 2013.

    The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has carried out 4018 Port State Control inspections since the requirement became mandatory and 24 vessels have been identified with deficiencies relating to energy efficiency.

  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that people with learning disabilities who have been sectioned have accessible information about their rights.

    David Mowat

    The Department commissioned some resources for people with learning disabilities to support the revised Mental Health Act Code of Practice to explain the Mental Health Act and people’s rights within it. This included a number of easy read factsheets which stated the type of information that should be provided when someone is sectioned. This includes what health professionals should and should not do, and what a person’s rights and choices are in this situation. The fact sheets are available at:

    http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/mental-health-services-explained/Pages/easy-read-mental-health-act.aspx

    “

  • Catherine McKinnell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Catherine McKinnell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on a cross-departmental approach to moving to low carbon energy sources.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Working across departments is essential in order to move to low carbon energy sources and deliver our carbon commitments. There is already a great deal of work going on because we recognise that the challenges and opportunities we face require the whole of Government to work together.

    For example, we are cutting emissions, driving innovation and creating jobs through our joint work with the Department of Transport to promote low emissions vehicles.

  • Ian C. Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Ian C. Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of passengers using Manchester Airport in (a) 2015, (b) 2020 and (c) 2025.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The last aviation forecasts made by the Department for Transport were produced in January 2013. These gave the following forecasts of passengers using Manchester Airport for the central demand case:

    (a) 2015 : 19.5 million

    (b) 2020 : 22.1 million

    (c) 2025 : 25.0 million

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2016-01-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 11 January (HL4752 and HL4753) and 18 January (HL4957), whether they regard as matters of concern in countering extremist ideologies the preaching and teaching of Wahhabism in mosques and Muslim education bodies in Britain, and funding from overseas for that teaching.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    We consider any vocal or active opposition to our fundamental values as extremist, whatever guise these are expressed under. This includes when religions are hijacked by those wishing to promote extremism. As my rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister said in July last year “extremist ideology is not true Islam”.

    Because of these concerns our Government has taken significant steps to counter extremism. We published our Counter Extremism Strategy in October 2015 which sets out a range of measures to deal with the broad challenge of extremism. We have placed a duty on specified authorities to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being radicalised. This includes schools, colleges and universities. It is also why the Prime Minister recently commissioned a review into the funding of extremism in the UK, including funding from overseas.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the estimated difference in cost between locating the Sheffield High Speed 2 station in the city centre and locating it in Meadowhall.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Analysis of the Sheffield City Region station options was published in the ‘Engineering options report; West Midlands to Leeds’ dated March 2012. This included analysis of several station sites around the city centre.

    The current estimated difference in cost between locating a High Speed station at Victoria and Meadowhall is £680m. Previous work on the cost of options at Victoria and other city centre sites are not comparable to the current estimate given above. With regards to the Meadowhall station, following the 2013 public consultation, no significant changes have been made to the original station design therefore there have not been any changes in cost.

    When recommending a station location HS2 Ltd. uses a number of criteria, including;

    1. engineering and construction feasibility;
    2. sustainability;
    3. demand considerations, including journey times;
    4. cost; and
    5. wider impacts

    Potential options were sifted by HS2 Ltd. according to these criteria. To support and challenge this approach, external stakeholders and advisors from the Department’s Project Representative Team were involved in reviewing the process and outcomes where appropriate. Further information about the appraisal process can be found in the 2012 ‘Options for phase two of the high speed rail network’ report and 2013 ‘Appraisal of Sustainability’ report. Both of these documents are available on the government website.

    Analysis undertaken by HS2 shows that the introduction of the Sheffield Meadowhall HS2 station could support up to 5,400 jobs and up to 300 residential units, while a HS2 station at Victoria could support an estimated 9,000 jobs and 900 housing units.

    Finally, I can confirm that Department for Transport officials have received a copy of Sheffield City Region’s study into connectivity for a city centre High Speed 2 station at Victoria which Network Rail was involved in.

  • Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to close the driving test centre in Wrexham.

    Andrew Jones

    The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has no plans to close the driving test centre at Birchall House, Wrexham Technology Park, Wrexham that provides car practical tests. The DVSA currently provides LGV vocational testing at our site at Llay Road, Wrexham. The DVSA is looking to move testing from this site. The site will not be closed until a suitable alternative for the delivery of LGV vocational testing in the Wrexham area has been secured.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of additional nurses who will be required in the health and care sectors over the next five years.

    Ben Gummer

    Health Education England (HEE) is responsible for workforce planning in the National Health Service and their recently published HEE commissioning and investment plan 16/17 forecasts an additional supply of 40,000 nurses by 2020. Moving new nursing students on to the student loans system in August 2017 will allow universities to offer up to a further 10,000 nursing, midwifery and allied health degree places by 2020/21.

    The HEE commissioning and investment plan 16/17 forecasts demands for additional nurses and midwives in the health and care sector in the next five years will rise by around 16,800.

    The Department does not collect data on the numbers of applicants who were not successful in gaining a nurse training place.

  • David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many gambling licenses were in effect in (a) Tottenham and (b) Greater London (i) in 2010 and (ii) on the most recent date for which figures are available.

    David Evennett

    The requested information is not held centrally. Local authorities are responsible for the issuing of gambling premises licences, in accordance with the Licensing Objectives and their own Statement of Licensing Policy. Local Authority license registers listing the number of licences in each borough are available to access by the public. The Gambling Commission estimates there are around 2,800 licences in operation in the greater London area, based on feedback from Local Authorities. Haringey Borough Council’s licensing register can be found at the following address: http://www.haringey.gov.uk/business/licensing-and-regulations/licensing/licensing-register